Gardening in Edinburgh, Scotland - a keen beginner gardener!
Started to plant out my garden in March 2011. I've had successes and failures. I like to think I'm learning more as each season comes and goes.
Most of all thank you for visiting - I hope you like it here!

Around my garden

Monday, 20 June 2016

Attempting to tie in an unruly Clematis, with my slippers on I may add, I slipped and fell on my backside! Of course I couldn't fall backwards could I? No I had to land my butt right bang smack top of a group of perennials and crush them to oblivion.

The only thing hurt was my pride. Thankfully no one else was there to have a laugh at my expense. They will all recover but a trip to the GC will be in order at some point this week for some annuals to fill the gaps. Oops!

Thursday, 16 June 2016

I am currently laid up with a chest infection and even doing the most easiest of tasks in the garden has been a real struggle. The upside of that is that I have been able to admire and watch the plants do what they want. As is normal for Early to Mid June here in my garden there is so much waiting to burst into bloom. The heatwave last week or as we like to call it, summer, was most welcome. However, this week it's all back normal dreich days. I'm sure I've introduced you all to our word dreich before. It simply means drizzly, dark and downright miserable weather.

You can see clearly in the summer border just how lush the garden is right now. Last week however it was all looking very puggled. It had been abnormally dry here recently. I don't recall ever having to water the garden so early in the year. Alliums, Astrantia and oriental poppies are blooming right now.

On the other side of the trellising, the Laburnum tree is flowering in the woodland. It's scent fills the whole garden. This tree has only been in the garden 3 years and this is the first year it has flowered so profusely. The bees adore it.

Laburnum x watererii Vossii

Forming part of the deciduous hedge nearby the Viburnum buds pick out the colour of the Physocarpus leaves.

Physocarpus opulifolus Burning Embers and Viburnum sargentii Onondaga

Adjacent to and below some candelabra primula and globeflowers.

Primula japonica Postford White and Trollius x cultorum Cheddar

It's all getting very cramped in the top border. The plants here will be grateful when I get round to extending this border later in the year. Can you spot the lone Allium flower? This whole area should be dotted with Allium blooms to coincide with the poppies. All was going well a couple of weeks ago and then one morning I noticed that all bar one of those Allium buds had been completely sheared off just below the flower head. I am blaming snails or slugs but can't say for definite. What ever it was those large purple flower heads are littered on the ground beneath the foliage.

Over into the shadier side of the back garden more Candelabra Primula are blooming. They'll be loving this rain.

P. japonica Apple Blossom and Millers Crimson

I haven't checked today but I doubt this hardy geranium just coming into bloom will be looking quite proud n this rain today.

Geranium himalayense Gravetye

This particular Cordydalis will neither be up nor down. Those brilliant blue flowers really do stand out against all the greenery in the Enkianthus bed right now.

Corydalis flexuosa Heavenly Blue

I was not my intention that this post should be quite so long. I had not realised just how many plants were in bloom until I downloaded all the pictures I had taken over the last couple of days. Please bear with me. I am trying to keep words to a minimum to stop it getting even longer.

In the bed with no name (my EOMV posts) the pictures really don't do justice to how this area looks to the naked eye. The clematis scrambles through the low trellis at the edge of this border.

A close look at the Saxifraga in containers. These little plants would not survive in the ground here because of the winter wet. They thrive on neglect and are easily place out of the way when not in bloom.

Down to the side garden, bleeding hearts and Aquilegia amongst the foliage. Another spot in the garden that is now getting a bit too cramped.

At the other end Rhododendron Goldflimmer is just coming to it's peak.

Rhododendron Goldflimmer

Like the summer border at the top of this post, the front garden will come into it's own when the roses are in bloom. Most of them are a couple of weeks away yet but on the arch R. Teasing Georgia has opened her first bloom.

R. Teasing Georgia and Erysimum Apricot Delight

Last year I pulled up all the dutch Iris bulbs because they weren't quite the colour I had hoped they'd be. I must have missed these two. I'll leave them for now and pull them when they go over.

Iris hollandica Bronze Beauty

Bearded iris I. Indian Chief on the other hand looked great until the rains appeared.

Iris Indian Chief

Can you see the Verbascum in the background? Standing tall and proud until they succumb to the weight of the rain the other night.

Verbascum Clemantine

I am linking with May Dream Gardens to share my June Blooms with you all. Thank you for reading and if like me you enjoy a real nosy around other folks gardens why don't you pop over to see what's happening around the world.

About Me

A 40 something keen, active and learner gardener!
Work began on my garden in March 2011. Fed up looking at a square of decking, a square of lawn and a square of gravel (all served a purpose at the time) - I am painstakingly trying to create my ideal garden space. On occasion I feel as if I'm going round in circles. I am enjoying learning about the plants and I think I am now on track to have more success than failure.
My garden is still very immature and shrubs have yet to reach a reasonable height. I do think this contributes to my feeling of discontent with the garden at times. Gardening is a waiting game, right?
None of my family or friends have the slightest bit of interest in gardening - therefore I enjoy reading blogs and conversing with like minded folks. If you see something I'm doing wrong or something I could be doing better - please let me know. I welcome comments, criticism and advice. I think it's the only way, other than trial and error, I'm going to learn.
If you have taken the time to read my profile, thank you ever so much and please let me know you've stopped by.